North Korea's Korean Central News Agency said on the 29th that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wanted to hold high-level talks to realize a Japan-North Korea summit meeting, saying, "Japan has made a new decision and is working to improve relations. If we are trying to find a way out, there is no reason why the two countries cannot meet,” said Vice Foreign Minister Park Sang-Gil.
North Korea officially showed a positive stance toward Japan-North Korea talks because Japan decided to strengthen its own sanctions on the grounds of its nuclear test in January 2016, and North Korea promised to reinvestigate the abduction issue at the time. It seems that it has been since it was discontinued.
In the early hours of the 29th, North Korea notified Japan that it would launch a satellite between 0:00 a.m. on May 31 and 0:00 a.m. on June 11, and showed its willingness to provide information on safety to Japan. In the background of the statement by the vice minister for foreign affairs, which also showed a dialogue attitude, it seems that there is also an aim to shake the cooperation between the United States, South Korea, and Japan.The statement reiterated its previous claim that the Japanese abduction issue had been "resolved." He said that Japan is "making the resolution of the abduction issue and the abandonment of North Korea's nuclear arsenal development a precondition for improving relations," and argued that Japan was the cause of the deterioration of Japan-North Korea relations.
He also cautioned, "If Japan tries to solve unrealizable desires in the way of the previous administration, it will be a miscalculation and a waste of time. We cannot move forward toward the future if we are stuck in the past." He also called for a change in attitude, pointing out that "we should show our will to solve problems through actions, not words."
